Courts Service rejects '40% drink-driving conviction' rate, says true figure is 85%
The Courts Service has rejected widespread reports on the low-rate of drink-driving convictions as "inaccurate and simply wrong".
Last week, figures were released claiming only 40% of motorists before the district courts on drink-driving charges were convicted.
However the Courts Service has said the average figure for convictions each year is between 85% and 88%.
In a statement, the Courts Service said recent reporting on conviction rates for drink-driving in no way reflected the actual outcome in the District Courts.
It said commentators made a simple error by comparing the total number of summonses requested, printed and issued to the number of cases heard and finalised.
The statement said it was wrong to extrapolate conviction rates from such figures as by year end, many summonses are still being processed.
A spokesperson said that in fact in the two years leading up to July 2015, more than 86% of drink-driving cases resulted in convictions.
